Four mums discuss why they are happy to let their little girls enter US-style beauty pageant Miss Mini Princess UK – story in the DAILY MAIL and the DAILY STAR.
US-style beauty pageants such as those followed by the hit TV show, Toddlers & Tiaras have attracted much publicity and also criticism.
Viewers have been shocked by the mums who’ve dressed their little daughters up as a prostitute or let them wear a padded bra.
But if you think that would put UK mums off putting their own children into such a show, then you’d be wrong.
Miss Mini Princess UK – dubbed an American style beauty pageant with British Attitude – has been overwhelmed by demand from British parents – and for this article I spoke to four mums. 
Interestingly, this will be the first pageant for each child in this pageant, which goes from babyhood up to the age of 13.
Girls will be expected to dress in a wow outfit and evening dress – with the emphasis on glamour.
Lexci is aged three but her mum is about to shell out hundreds of pounds on an outfit modelled on a bikini.
Meanwhile Chloe, 8, another contestant is looking forward to wearing make-up and spray tan.
Adele, 5, is another contestant whose mum says she is looking forward to dressing up for the day and Jade, 9, already does some modelling – her parents believe this could pave the way to a career in glamour modelling.
But is it harmless? Is it just little girls dressing up like mummy does within the confines of a beauty pageant? After all, as all the mums said, none of them plan to be letting their children stuff their pretend bras and it is not as if they go to school dressed like it. 
Or, is it as Claude Knights, from charity Kidscape, said to me something that is worrying because it sexualises little girls.
Other critics claim it is ‘parades for paedophiles’, puts too much emphasis on what a little girl looks like at too young and age and are the girls themselves simply too young to give informed consent?
Interestingly, during my research, I discovered that France is currently debating banning any beauty contests for children under the age of 16. 
But despite this, the mums I spoke to for the article feel it is just harmless fun and far too much fuss is made about something that they and their daughters are both looking forward too?
What do you think? We would love to hear your views below…
